It was the fall of our first year at WSU. I had seen Dawson at CCF, our Friday night youth group event for college students. He was a boisterous guy, always hanging out with the people on the left side of the room. He was enthusiastic during worship and that was the main way I saw him. We were formally introduced on one specific Friday when we were all broken into teams to compete in a game called “The Amazing Race”, a typical crazy youth group game involving running around the local neighborhood in the dark completing different tasks; make four baskets at the local school, find six numbers hidden around a local park, churn your own butter in a jar, or drink a foul smelling drink. The fun part about the game was the addition of two vans that we could take from place to place that had their own rules assigned to them. Only joking, while that is a true story, it is only a first impression. We bumped into each other regularly from that point on. Whether it was at church or at our small group or swing dancing on Wednesday nights; I came to know him deeper and deeper as a close friend. I came to look for him at all these different events and his presence or absence would affect my mood without me even consciously recognizing it. Dawson is passionate about serving those around him. At every one of our Sunday night small groups he would take time to do the dishes so that the couple hosting us wouldn’t be left with a huge mess when we left.

One December Sunday after church, there were five of us hanging out and talking when someone suggested we go to the local trampoline park afterwards. We went and had a great time playing dodgeball, throwing each other into the foam pit, and daring each other to do backflips. It was an hour well spent. I didn’t want the time we had together to end. Then someone else suggested that we should go have lunch back at mine and Cheyenne’s apartment. The guys said that they would go pick up the things to make mac and cheese. Cheyenne and I went home to frantically clean the apartment before they arrived. When they did they made our gourmet meal and we talked and laughed together for hours and hours into the early, then later evening. When everyone eventually left I felt so full and happy. I’m guessing so did Dawson because a few weeks later, after the winter break, he asked if we could have another dinner with even more people. I readily agreed and soon he was over again with another six people, the supplies to make chicken foot soup, a new playlist that he had made, and a play that we would read after dinner. Throughout that day we all worked on a puzzle, talked, and laughed together until dinner was ready. Dinner was delicious all thanks to the incredible chef and host that Dawson is. He can really make any event special, and he did. Two weeks later he was back again cooking and serving a whole new group of us. I was so glad to be part of his plans and in his world. It always made me feel so special to get to be around him. We had four of these dinners in total and they were the highlights of my last spring semester.

The school year was wrapping up and that meant graduation for all the seniors, Dawson included. I spent my time thinking of all the wonderful memories I had had with one of my closest friends and tried not to think so often about ways I could keep him from leaving because I knew Dawson knows God’s plan for seasons and he is ok moving on when a season ends. As hard as it was, I tried not to dwell on the fact that I would be part of the season that would be ending in his life. That was until he sent me the song “Rich” by Henrik one random Wednesday morning. For those who don’t know, I worked for a professional cleaning business that school year. I was all gloved up and cleaning a master bathroom sink when he sent me the song. Obviously, I stripped my gloves as quickly as I could and washed my hands before I downloaded the song off Wifi (sorry Mom and Dad) and listened to it for the first time. The song talks about the beautiful relationship between two very average people. They aren’t the most beautiful, the smartest, or the wealthiest. Their love isn’t extravagant. They live a simple life, watching the sunset together, holding hands, and weaving flower crowns in the park for the king and queen of their world. Dawson talked a lot about getting married and having a family. “Boy are we rich” the song sang. I looked in the mirror of that bathroom and tried to picture who Dawson’s wife would be. Where was she from? What did she like to do? Was she brave, or smart, or kind? I listened to the song two or three more times before I picked up my phone to respond. I had typed “I can’t wait to meet the woman that makes you feel rich.” my thumb was over the send button when I erased it and wrote “It’s beautiful”.

I don’t know what stopped me. I knew that every thought of him leaving would be all the more painful the more attached I was to him. I thought I knew that pursuing him would be fruitless. Through it all though, I longed to be someone to him. I longed to be someone he would miss, someone he would cherish, someone who could support him everyday of his life. I tried to convince myself over and over that that person wasn’t me. It couldn’t be me. Dawson was leaving and that would be it. It wasn’t though. A day later, I asked him how often he thought about his wife and through the course of that conversation we decided to meet up and go for a walk later that week. That walk led to a conversation that I know had been rehearsed, one Dawson had prepared and been so nervous to have. It went something like this: Dawson - “I don’t believe in dating, and Paul says you shouldn’t get married unless you will further the kingdom of God together. Madeline, I believe we will further the kingdom of God together. What do you think?” Madeline - “I think I love that idea. I have no idea what it will look like, but I have faith that it will work out.” Talk about direct!! So many things that I had wanted in a man. Were all here right in front of me. He’s direct and honest, kind and loving, dedicated to his faith and walk with God. He’s a servant and he cherished me enough not to play with me. He knew what he wanted before he came to me. I knew I never deserved the love that he gave me from the first day of our relationship. We spent that first week figuring out our boundaries, having hard conversations about what our relationship would look like and what we wanted it to look like. I had many excited phone calls with my parents. Then he left. We spent 27 days apart. Nearly a month after only six days in person. It was the longest and hardest month of my life.

He came to Tahoe where I was interning for my birthday. It was actually the day before my birthday, so I cheated and opened my present early. We went all over town, out to four different beaches. We had lunch and ice cream. I made a joke that he would throw me in and before I knew it, he had scooped me up and walked fully clothed into the lake. It was the best 20th birthday I could’ve ever wished for. There’s this funny thing about time though, it just keeps moving. Soon he was off and gone again and I was to wait another week before I could see him. We spent the summer like this, seeing each other for a weekend and then dating long distance for a couple weeks. We would trade off and in the end, we saw each other six times in person. All of which were full of energy and very little sleep. The final time we left was right before Cheyenne and I drove back to Pullman from California. It was so fun. We filled every day as full as we could with activities, even if that was to go to the park and have a picnic. Seemingly out of nowhere, as soon as we arrived, it was time to leave again. This time, instead of a three hour drive, I was leaving to be a 15 hour drive away. There would be 888 miles between us. Regardless of how often I would see Dawson, the physical distance scared me. It made me feel so much farther away emotionally.

The time passed just like it always did. Soon enough Dawson was back. He and I drove back across Washington so I could show him where I grew up and show him off to every grandparent I have. We had an incredible weekend and he and Dad had a great conversation Saturday morning ;). Three weeks later he was back. Dawson came to all my Thursday and Friday classes. Then we drove back to the west side again.

We walked away from the car and toward the hill that overlooks the water. We filled the time as we got nearer and nearer the top with conversations of inconsequential things until we stood in the middle of the paved circle on the hill where the most iconic Seattle photos are taken. At which point the conversation turned to our relationship and how beautiful it had been. Dawson shared how incredible he felt being loved by me and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Every time I had thought about what “the moment” would be like I wondered what my reaction would be. Would I cry? Would I laugh? Would I forget what to say or how to speak? Would it be hard to say yes? None of these things happened. I was ecstatic. It was the most sure and confident “yes” of my life. I could not be more sure that Dawson is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. For all of who he is, and all the ways he loves me, I can’t wait to marry Dawson.